RALEIGH — The
Complete 540 study
for the southeast extension of the Triangle Expressway is once again underway
following a two-year delay.The
Complete 540 project will provide a more direct route and quicker access to
RTP, the RDU airport, major employment and activity centers along NC 540 for
rapidly growing communities south and east of Raleigh. Completing 540 will
connect the final section of the outer loop from Holly Springs to Knightdale.

“Based on our
10-year Triangle Mobility Plan, we are focused on completing and rehabilitating
roads including 540 that will continue to strengthen and connect our
communities.” said Secretary Tony Tata. “This summer, legislation cleared the
way for us to complete the necessary environmental studies for all routes and
to choose the best route that will allow us to return our focus to this
project.”

NCDOT has produced a
video on the benefits of completing
540. Click on the image below to watch it.

A law passed by the
North Carolina General Assembly in 2011 limited NCDOT’s ability to comply with
certain federal requirements. Recently passed legislation repealed that law,
allowing the study to move forward.

NCDOT has resumed
work on the project and the study will now focus on collecting information
about the benefits and impacts of various alternatives. The next step is for
NCDOT to present information and maps of the alternatives at the following
three public meetings:

The northern section
of 540 is known as I-540 and runs from I-40 in Durham County to U.S. 64/264 in
Wake County. The southern section, N.C. 540, begins at I-40 in Durham County
and currently ends at N.C. 55 in Holly Springs. This southern section is also
referred to as the Triangle Expressway, the state’s first modern toll road.

Since opening the
section of the Triangle Expressway from Cary to Holly Springs in the western
part of Wake County, NCDOT has seen continued growth in ridership and received
positive feedback from drivers who are now able to save 20 to 30 minutes on
their commutes.

Completing the 540
loop will reduce congestion and improve commuter mobility for the fast-growing
communities south and east of Raleigh.